The number one requirement, whether you are a business owner
or an employee, is to be able to say what you do, and say it
with influencing results. Through testing, I have seen,
experienced, and received feedback that an elevator speech
no longer works. My test results show that elevator
speeches are too slow and too boring. People know what’s
coming and have mindfully tuned out it out before the first
sentence. Elevator speeches don’t stop the listener in
their moment, which is exactly what you need to do. An
introduction that starts with a firecracker impact does stop
them in their moment.
Pitching what you do needs energy — energy in your voice
and body language. The same energy you have if you’re
pitching your screenplay to an agent or getting a large
crowd’s attention. Elevator speeches have become over
processed and passive. People only notice if you give a
poor one and that is because they measured it against their
own. A good introduction, without a firecracker beginning,
doesn’t stop them in their moment.
You want them to remember you and your answer for a long
time. Not just 10 minutes, the next day when they call you
to pitch you, but next week, next month, when something
happens and their pain appear. Better yet, when they are
talking to someone else and see the pain-solution results.
They see you as the answer. A firecracker stays with people
for quite some time. Where were you the last time you saw
fireworks? Once triggered, I’m sure you remember the day,
the time, and whom you were with quite quickly.
You will want to create a memorable firecracker introduction
that you can use everywhere — in any introduction, any
situation, as the key point of every presentation, voice-
mail message, e-mail signatures, slogan on a business card
or
even as a headliner on your website home page.
Let’s learn this process together by beginning with a few
examples I created. These examples will also give you hints
on how you can open your pitches with a firecracker moment.
Pitches that change people’s moments – ignite a firecracker
under their assets.
Let’s assume you are at a networking event and someone asks,
“What do you do?” You can open in one of several ways
depending on the function and what you thought would
intrigue people attending this event. The introduction must
always lead to getting them to act on only one call to
action. If your call to action is to sell space in an
upcoming workshop, you don’t promote your consulting
services. Multiple action calls will dilute your message.
Even worse, they confuse your listener.
Consider crafting several, still staying within the single
call to action, by changing the wording ever so slightly so
that it doesn’t sound memorized just in case others are
close enough to over hear you. This also works if you are
testing to find the best language.
Always make the first sentence a declarative statement: “I
perform miracles. Not the religious type, of course, the
business type. Entrepreneurs, like [current or past
client] and [another current or past client], hire me to
make their marketing more attractive and pull in clients. I
help them become a human magnet, drawing new businesses to
them like bees make honey.”
It is important for the very first sentence be short and
declarative. Declarative doesn’t ask, it asserts. Now stop
for a few minutes and play with some ideas of your own. Be
bold when playing; write with the energy of a firecracker.
A second method would be to open with a declarative
question. Actually there isn’t any such thing as a
declarative question in grammar, so bare with me as I
stretch a declarative statement. A declarative question is
when you ask them a question but not for them to answer but
with a declarative prowess. “Have you ever seen a speaker
so dynamic and engaging that you forget where you are?
Someone who teaches with inspiration, hypnotizes their
audience, empowers people to act, all the while filling the
atmosphere in the room with love. Then you haven’t
experienced me.”
The first two sentences will determine whether they are
listening. A firecracker intro guarantees that you will
snap them out of their moment. If you find that these
openers are too bold, you have my permission to continue to
let people be in their own moment and keep trying to get a
regular elevator speech to work.
Marketing expert, Catherine Franz, is a columnist and author
of thousands of articles on this and similar topics.
Additional articles and newsletters are available at the
Abundance Center or on Catherine’s blog:
http://www.abundancecenter.com
blog: http://abundance.blogs.com
